


Wench, You Care Enough to Send the Very Best

by everydayescapeartist



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Braime AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, For the most part, Hyle's not the one either but no one's shocked, Jaime POV, Jon Snow cameo heh, Valentine's fluff, Valentine's oneshot, braime oneshot, in retrospect I should have made it have a bed on it for the joke, knights and swords and dragons and coffee oh my, meet cute, meet ugly, no twincest just Cersei being not the one, quite Hallmark cheesy tbh, the one where the author overanalyzes a greeting card for 4000 sappy words, there was only one perfect card
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29456466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everydayescapeartist/pseuds/everydayescapeartist
Summary: When Jaime reaches for the same Valentine's card as a tall, stubborn fellow store patron, he only sees the situation as a problem he needs to solve.  He doesn't know just what an important moment this is for his life or how his holiday and his perspective will begin to change over his all too short lunch break.  A bit of Valentine's conflict, kindness, and kismet.
Relationships: Cersei Lannister/Jaime Lannister, Hyle Hunt/Brienne of Tarth, Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 32
Kudos: 118





	Wench, You Care Enough to Send the Very Best

Jaime stood perusing the wide selection of cards in the Harrenhalmark Gift Shop aisle. Shades of red, pink, and white as far as the eye could see, some purple thrown in too for good measure. He wondered if a card would even garner much notice next to the coveted jewelry set he had procured for Cersei for Valentine’s Day. The Crown jewelry collection was all she could talk about over the past month. She had to have it, so Jaime knew he had to get it for her. That part was taken care of, wrapped up with several bows and ready for hand delivery the next day. Still, Jaime was a traditional romantic and what was the holiday without a Valentine’s card?

_"You slay me!"_ A card with a picture of a knight slaying a dragon with a magnificently long sword caught his eye on an upper row. He picked it up and read the silly but sincere message inside as well. He liked it...would enjoy it if it was given to him, but he went back and forth on whether Cersei would like it. He slid it back in its holder, figuring he could come back to it if no other card held more appeal. He moved down the aisle slowly, eyeing serious cards with floral covers and pop-out cards (she'd hate those). There were joking cards with shirtless hunks on the front...no way was he tempting her more than she was already tempted to stray from him. There was a card with a cartoon lion on it, but he was pretty sure he'd done that a few times before. He was so engrossed in his own thought process, he didn't realize he was no longer alone in the aisle.

He didn't realize until he decided just to go for it with the knight card and moved to retrieve it again, only to reach his hand out just as a set of long, pale fingers pulled it from its holder, along with the envelope behind it. Blinking, he followed the direction of the intruding hand and saw that it belonged to one very tall, very plain-looking woman. If not for the look of those slender fingers, the meager curve of her breasts, and what appeared to be a homemade crocheted hat in a style he'd seen women at his office wear, he might have mistaken her for a man. He looked back to the upper row where the card had sat just a couple moments ago. The holder now sat completely empty. He looked to the slots to the left and right and in the row below, hoping that card had just been in the wrong slot and he'd find more copies of it in another one. No such luck. He looked to the amazon next to him out of the corner of his eye. She had the card open and was reading over the lines, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. It was a rather plump lip, he noticed...and her teeth were a bit crooked. She looked uncertain, just as he had the first time he'd viewed it. Maybe there was hope that she'd decide it wasn't for her and put it back. Jaime glanced at his watch. He had a meeting after lunch with his father and some of their more demanding shareholders and being late for it would not go over well. He decided to try to move things along for her in the hopes of reacquiring the card. Surely a bit of logic and charm would do the trick.

"Excuse me," he began, and her eyes darted to his face, full of suspicion. Great. "It's just, you seem uncertain about that card and I was actually reaching for it right as you grabbed it."

"Oh, well that's unfortunate timing. Is there another copy of it?"

He tried to offer her his most adorable grimace. "No, not that I can see." As expected, she stepped forward and gave the rows a closer look as he had a minute ago. Then, she turned to him, looking, he had to admit, somewhat apologetic. 

"I don't see another one either. I do think this is the one I want to get though. Maybe there's another one your, er, significant other would like...?"

Damn. She was intent on keeping the card, but she was being somewhat kind about it. That was nice to see, anyway. Another person might have just turned and walked away from him.

"I've already considered the whole lot of cards and nothing else jumped out as much as that one."

"Oh."

Another try, perhaps. "I did actually have my hands on it first. I was looking at it a few minutes ago."

"Well, it's in my hands now. You must not have been certain about it then if you put it back."

She wasn't wrong but he wished she'd just make this easy on them both and give up the stupid card. He studied her carefully for several moments. "I wonder...is it even the best card for you to give?"

"What is that supposed to mean, sir? You don't even know me," she said indignantly.

"No, you're right. It's just...you seem a bit strong, maybe too formidable to be slayed?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and her cheeks flushed more than a bit. "I'm strong enough to keep you from getting this card from me."

The challenge in her tone made his lips curve even as he found her obstinance annoying. He turned away from her to scan the rows of cards again and he thought he heard a release of her breath behind him. She must have thought he'd given up. Well, she didn't know him either. He picked up two other cards from the array and turned back to thrust them into her line of sight. She blinked and took a step back, obviously not prepared for that. 

"Look, my girlfriend is not the easiest to buy for when it comes to cards. Would one of these work for you? This one has an adorable puppy dog or if we're skewing more fierce, this one has a wolf." She glanced briefly at the two cards he held up, the latter with the sickening "Wolf you be my Valentine?" message on it that he couldn't stomach the first time his eyes had spied it. She slowly and coldly shook her head back and forth.

"Begging your pardon..." Jaime hadn't noticed the man with the dark, curly mop of hair who'd at some point entered the card aisle in search of his own Valentine greeting find. He tried not to glare too hard as he turned his attention to him. "If neither of you wants the wolf card, I think I'll take that one." Frowning with disgust, Jaime handed the card to the now smiling young man. He bobbed his head and thanked them both before taking the card and leaving the aisle.

Generally frustrated at this point, Jaime turned his irritation back on her. "Why are you even still here if you aren't at least considering giving me that card?"

She scoffed, looking about ready to spit venom at this point. So much for the kind girl he'd first thought she was. "I need another card yet."

He eyed her skeptically. " _You_ have more than one Valentine?"

She blew out an angry breath and shifted to walk past him to view cards further down the aisle.

He inwardly chided himself. That one was uncalled for. "That was unworthy. I apologize."

She kept sorting through cards, ignoring him. He started to realize that he was not going to win this one or win her over. He went back to looking through the sad choices in front of him, picking up a simple one with a bottle of wine and two glasses on the front, not a bad choice for Cersei, in any event. Once he read the inside, he realized maybe this was a more fitting card for his complicated relationship. "You are to my taste and I will always be intoxicated by you," it read. Well, then. As much as he liked the romanticism of the knight and the dragon, he knew that was him and not his intended recipient. Maybe he'd tried to fight for it so hard because he wanted it to be something she loved too, to be a part of him she could love as well as she professed to love the pawn in the power suit.

"Do you have your phone?"

He was surprised that she'd spoken to him again. He didn't deserve it. "What?" he asked, confused.

She shrugged slightly. "You could...take a picture...of the card. Then, maybe you could print it out and recreate it or something."

"I suppose that's true," he said slowly, considering the idea. Then, he shook his head. "No, it's okay. She'd probably scoff at that, something looking so homemade."

The homely woman studied him and the expression on her face turned to one of...he wasn't sure if it was pity exactly. It looked a bit like understanding. She looked down at the card in her hand, looked back at him, and then sighed. She reached into her pocket with her free hand, took out her phone, and snapped a photo of the card. Pocketing her phone again, she extended her arm, the card floating directly in front of him. Tentatively, he took it. Once it was in hand, he realized the victory wasn't as sweet as he'd anticipated. He tried to hand it back to her but she waved him off.

"It's okay. My boyfriend...he probably wouldn't appreciate it anyway. Well, maybe he would. He likes to fancy himself some knight in shining armor for me, but..."

"That's not something you really need," he finished for her.

She shrugged again. "I'm not opposed to the knight. I just...I wear my own armor, so..." She cleared her throat, looked a bit uncomfortable and then said, "In any event, a homemade card wouldn't be something unexpected from me."

"Thank you. I...if you're sure. I've been starting to think this other one may be more appropriate anyway." She sent him a slight scowl that made him chuckle. "I know, I know...I'm sorry." He watched as the corner of her lips curled ever so slightly and then he met her eyes. They were such an unusually deep blue. They were rather striking, actually. 

"Just keep it. You can decide last minute or give her both. Consider it a Valentine's kindness from a stranger."

"I don't deserve it," he argued. She smiled again.

"That's what makes it a kindness." 

He nodded in acceptance, completely at a loss. The past several minutes had been truly strange but he felt warmed by the whole exchange too. She nodded back and then turned to walk away, ready to finally leave the aisle behind. "Wait!" he called just as she was about to turn out of the aisle. She looked over her broad shoulders at him, uncertainty writ on her features, as he strode toward her. "I wish to know the name of my benevolent stranger."

She looked as though she was considering refusing to provide it, but ultimately she must have read something in his face that let her feel secure enough to respond. "Brienne."

"Just Brienne?"

"Uh, Brienne...Tarth."

He smiled. "A pleasure to meet you, Brienne Tarth. I'm Jaime Lannister." He held his free hand out to her and she accepted and shook it, looking truly puzzled. "Can I buy you a coffee?" He motioned with his arm toward the Essosi Espresso kiosk near the store's entrance. 

Her eyes went wide and then she scrunched up her nose at him and it drew attention to the many tiny freckles residing there. "Oh, that's not necessary."

"I know it's not necessary, but let me do a Valentine's kindness too. You shouldn't get sole rights to that."

She put her hand on her hip and shook her head at him, looking a mix of mildly irritated and mildly amused. "Are you competitive about everything?"

He thought about it for a moment and smirked. "Actually, yes."

She blew out a small puff of air, looking exasperated. "Fine." She turned toward the checkout counter and he followed. She paid for the other card she had gotten for someone not her boyfriend, he presumed. He paid for both of the cards he held. Then, they moved over to the coffee kiosk. Her perceptive eyes never left his face as he proceeded to order them two basic coffees and, on a whim, added two heart-shaped sugar cookies to the order. He handed her a coffee and a cookie, the latter clearly surprising her, and they exited the store, Jaime being a gentleman and holding the door for her. 

Outside, he raised his eyebrows in question while sweeping his arm toward the small iron tables and chairs sitting to either side of the door. She offered a small nod and moved with him to one, lowering herself onto one of the hard chairs slowly, watching him all the while. She sipped her drink carefully and he did likewise, trying to think of what to say.

"So, besides the card, do you have any other Valentine's plans?" He broke a piece off of his cookie and put it in his mouth, enjoying the sweetness immediately.

She looked down and he saw the blush rise up over her face. Oh, those kind of plans maybe. "That good, huh?"

She glanced away toward the parking lot and shrugged, breaking off a piece of her cookie as well and fidgeting with it for a moment. "Normal stuff. We're going out to dinner." He watched her pop the bit of cookie into her mouth and saw that she seemed to enjoy its taste as well.

"Mmm...same here. I'd cook, but my girlfriend enjoys going out more, so..."

"Does that have to do with your cooking?" 

He saw the quirk of her lips and felt a bit lighter just realizing she was teasing him. "I hope not, but I can't say I've cooked for a lot of people, so perhaps I've overestimated my own abilities."

"What would you make...if you were cooking, I mean?"

He smiled. "Good question. Beef bourguignon, maybe. Or stuffed shells. Or a stir-fry of some sort." She looked pleasantly surprised. He didn't know why he cared to impress her but somehow he was glad to do so. Maybe it was just that he knew he'd made an unfavorable first impression...not that he likely had to worry about subsequent impressions. She was a stranger, after all. A stranger with very intriguing eyes.

"Those sound like pretty thoughtful options. Maybe she would like them."

"Maybe," he said with a shrug, remembering the last time he'd tried to suggest an at-home dinner like that to Cersei and how she'd laughed at him. She was all for being seen and she wouldn't be seen living her best Valentine's Day life sitting in his condo. They really did enjoy different things. Thinking on that made him ask his next question. "So, why the knight card?"

"I already gave it to you," she started to protest but he held his hand up to stop her.

"I know. I was just curious."

She looked lost in a reverie for a moment and then spoke. "It's something my father used to say to me. It's silly."

"What did he used to say?" he encouraged.

He watched her swallow. "He used to say, 'When the right person comes along to love you, they'll slay dragons to be with you, Blue.' It was sweet. Girlish fantasy stuff that I don't remotely believe anymore. It just...I liked the card."

Jaime felt touched. He tried to imagine Cersei ever sounding so sentimental and ever giving weight to something so sweet. She'd find it weak. She'd find him being affected by it weak. He had to wonder why every thought he had needed to be run through the Cersei lens. Was he inauthentic? Was he ever authentic with Cersei? His love for her was...wasn't it? "That's...a really good reason. I think I'm like your boyfriend. I just like to fancy myself a knight."

"You're nothing like my boyfriend."

She said it so quickly. He gave her a look of chagrin. It looked like she was blushing again. "No. He's probably not a crazy, card-obsessed control freak."

She laughed. "No, but that's not the only difference." She waved her hand lightly, dismissing the matter. It seemed she didn't care to expound on the differences. That was okay. Certainly, she was nothing like his girlfriend.

"I guess technically we're playing the role of the dragon though...being slayed."

"The hope is always that it's mutual though, isn't it?"

He nodded in agreement. "It is." He didn't know what his face was showing at that moment but she was looking at him rather seriously.

"And is it?" she asked quietly.

"Ye..." He started to answer, feeling a bit indignant at the question, until he realized it was a question he'd asked himself more than once over the past few years. Cersei said pretty things sometimes, things he wanted to hear. Her actions seemed to contradict them though. "I..."

"I shouldn't have asked. I overstepped."

"No, I..."

"It's just...it's not mutual...for me, I mean. It's...I keep thinking our affection will grow, but..."

"But instead it stays stuck...good, but maybe not great like you had once hoped it could be."

"Yeah. Exactly."

She looked as shaken as he was beginning to feel. He shook his head to clear it, tried to think of a way to change the subject. "The other card you found...did it speak to you like the dragon card?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's for my dad."

"What's it say?"

"That he'll always be my first and favorite Valentine."

"Brienne Tarth, I think you and your dad must have a pretty good relationship."

She smiled. "We do. I need to go visit him, actually. He's in the hospital."

"Oh, no. I'm sorry to hear that." He meant it. For some reason, he was becoming invested in this stranger's story, though he knew so little of it.

"Thank you. He'll be alright. He needed a knee replacement surgery, so he'll be in the hospital a few days."

"The doctors at King's Landing General are some of the best around," Jaime assured.

"Yes, he's in good hands."

Jaime's phone started to buzz and he pulled it from his pocket to see a message from his assistant Pia reminding him that his meeting with the shareholders would begin in 20 minutes. He'd allowed himself a long lunch slot for this errand today but now he really must be getting back to the office.

Brienne cleared her throat and set her cup down on the table. "It looks like you might be needed somewhere too."

He nodded, offering an apologetic smile. He really was sorry to have to go, and not just because he didn't look forward to the meeting ahead of him.

They both rose from the table and walked to a nearby trash receptacle to dispose of their empty cups.

"Thank you for the coffee," she said, pulling her keys out of her pocket.

"Thanks for putting up with me and for helping me out with the card."

"You're welcome. Have a good Valentine's Day, Jaime."

He met her eyes and nodded. "You too, Brienne." The look they shared indicated neither of them was too certain it would be the case. Before he could examine that further, she turned from him and strode out into the parking lot. He watched her slide into a sensible, blue sedan as he began to walk to his own red sports car. He wondered if he'd ever see her again. Maybe they would fight over cards again next year at the same Harrenhalmark. Then again, didn't those chance second meetings only happen in books and movies? He had a girlfriend. Why was he interested in spending more time with another woman? Then again, Brienne seemed like someone who might be a good friend to have. He pushed thoughts of the last hour out of his mind as he pulled into his designated parking space at the office. He went through the motions of the rest of his day and thought he'd been impressive enough to please the shareholders and his father, as much as the latter could ever be pleased. Once at home, he made himself a stir-fry dinner, thought about how much he enjoyed cooking, and thought more about the conversation with Brienne.

The next morning, Valentine's morning, he sent Cersei a "Will you be my Valentine?" text and she didn't reply for 30 minutes. When she did, it was only to say, "of course, darling." Very Cersei and just what he'd expect. He didn't know why he felt disappointed. Before work, he stood at his kitchen counter looking over both card options he had. He moved his pen above each of them and ultimately put Cersei's name on the one with the wine glasses. He sealed it and tucked it into the gift bag containing her Crown jewelry to give to her later over their dinner out. Then he stared at the other card. He wondered if Brienne had gone ahead and made a homemade version of it or hadn't bothered. She'd still seemed to think it not a perfect fit for her valentine the way he did. It seemed like the valentine himself might not be a perfect fit. Why were relationships so complicated? Jaime stuck the pen cap in his mouth for a few moments, biting on it distractedly before opening the knight and dragon card and putting the ink end to the inside. Smiling when he'd finished, he tucked it into his briefcase and headed to work. He'd entrust his junior assistant, Peck with its delivery.

..................................................................................

Brienne had only worked a half day so that she'd be able to go visit her father in the afternoon before meeting up with Hyle for dinner. When she walked into his hospital room, her first thought was that she smelled beef jerky. Spotting a strange arrangement on her father's bedside table, she realized her nose had not been incorrect. "Hi Blue!" her father greeted her. "It seems you've made friends with someone with great taste."

"What?" She felt confused as she moved toward the jerky bouquet, as she guessed it was meant to be. She vaguely remembered seeing ads for this kind of thing recently on her Kingdomsbook feed.

"A nice young man came by a little while ago, said he was delivering this jerky for me and a card for you on behalf of his boss, a friend of yours. Well, I don't know what this is about, my girl, but I'm not one to turn down good jerky."

She grinned at her father, still flummoxed but knowing he spoke the truth. It warmed her to see his happiness even as she was thinking this must be some mistake. She spotted the red envelope sitting on the table to the right of the vase holding the jerky. She picked it up, seeing her name written on the front in handwriting she wasn't familiar with. She knew Hyle's handwriting, and this didn't strike her as something Hyle would think to do anyway. He wasn't the most thoughtful, nor was he that big of a fan of her father's. Carefully, she slid her fingers beneath the envelope flap, untucking it and sliding the card out from within. She gasped and almost dropped it when she saw what card it was.

"What is it, Blue? Are you okay?" her father asked, concern lacing his voice.

"Yeah, dad...I'm fine. I just...this is a surprise." He stayed silent as she ran her fingers lightly over the knight and the dragon on the front, saw the simple words that went with the picture. She opened the card, half expecting to find the inside blank but for the card's original printed sentiment. It could have been gifted back to her so that she might be able to give it to Hyle after all. That wasn't the case though.

_"Happy Valentine's Day, Brienne. I know on the one hand, it might be super annoying that I'm giving you this card after basically harassing you until you gave it up to me yesterday. That's just part of my charm. What can I say? Your reason for wanting it was better than mine. And, if I'm being frank, it doesn't seem like your boyfriend is worthy of this card either. So, it's yours. It'll always be yours. Hold onto it and don't give up on the idea that someone may come along and slay dragons to be with you, even if you don't expressly need them to because you're quite capable of taking care of yourself. I'm glad we were in that card aisle at the same time. I'm glad you challenged me. You asked good questions. I enjoyed our conversation. I'd do it again sometime if you would. They say friendships are formed over shared interests. Medieval card designs, coffee, questionable relationships...could be a start. If you think so too, text me sometime. 526-647-8375 Hope your dad likes the jerky. Mine did when I got it for his last birthday and he's pretty particular. I hope yours has a smooth recovery and I'm sure he liked the card you got for him. Have a wonderful day and a nice dinner tonight. --Jaime"_

...................................................................................

Four months later...

"Jaime, you cannot possibly want to fight me for this card. Your father is so different from mine. This is not a Father's Day card fit for him."

"You're right. Tywin would hate it. I just like fighting over cards with you."

"You like fighting over everything with me."

"Quite true."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes at him, grabbing a card from a holder in front of them that was a simple, to the point, gold-embossed "Happy Father's Day" card. She slapped it into his chest, forcing him to bring his hands up to grab it as she released it. "Give him that one," she instructed and then turned to walk toward the registers, leaving Jaime grinning and staring after her fondly.

Their friendship had developed pretty quickly after Valentine's Day. She'd texted him back the day after and thanked him and they'd started to text about their days and various portions of their life until texting became phone calls and phone calls became time spent hanging out -- first at coffee shops, then parks, then their homes. They liked each other's cooking. They liked a lot of the same movies and tv shows. They both had a penchant for history. They both decided after Valentine's Day that they deserved more from a relationship and ended their respective ones. Now, it was four months later and Jaime was getting to meet Brienne's dad for the first time. Brienne was very close to and rather protective of her dad, so though she'd appreciated his jerky bouquet gesture plenty, it didn't have her rushing to introduce him to her first and favorite valentine. If he were being honest, which he was with himself more and more these days, he thought he'd like to take over the latter half of that title eventually. Maybe he'd be her favorite valentine by next February. For the moment though, he was really enjoying the friend he now had in Brienne, and the ways they toed the line between friendship and something more.

Later that day, reflecting on his meeting with the jovial yet still intimidating Selwyn Tarth, Jaime felt pretty sure he'd made a better first impression with the elder Tarth than he initially had with his daughter. And the look she'd given him when he'd shaken her father's hand and introduced himself as "Jaime Lannister, sir, aspiring dragonslayer" had made him feel like he'd already slain at least one. They had time for the rest.


End file.
